The use of seat belts is becoming more and more prevalent in today's world. This is particularly true in regard to motor vehicles. For example, in the United States many states are in the process of passing laws which require the use of seat belts in automobiles with appropriate fines being assessed for violations. Accordingly, it is conceivable and readily perceivable that, shortly, the majority of drivers in the United States will be regularly employing seat belts virtually on a daily basis.
This will serve to aggravate and increase already known difficulties encountered with existing acceptable seat belt structures. This in regard to both the waist strap portion and the shoulder strap portion of commercially available seat belt arrangements.
One major difficulty is in concerns personal discomfort. The seat belts are anchored to the body of the vehicles and are subjected to spring tension which causes the seat belt structure to bear against the user's body. This often leads to uncomfortable conditions. Only limited movement against spring tension is available. This is understandable since the purpose of the belt is to fix the person in position in the vehicle and maintain that position even when subjected to the violent forces of a motor vehicle accident. It should also be kept in mind that vehicle drivers and passengers come in all sizes and shapes and, therefore, seat belts bear against various portions of a person's anatomy and can cause minor or severe discomfort. A neck rash, for example, is a common problem.
A further difficulty is in connection with soiling of the user's clothing. Automobiles are normally used over an extended period of time and accordingly, the seat belts in those vehicles are also used for many years. They tend to become worn and dirty as time goes on and there is relatively continuous use. In fact, even during non-use, the seat belts will become dusty and accumulate dirt and other substances that can discolor and soil one's clothing.
A further consideration in connection with existing types of seat belts is that they serve only a single function, that is to protect the user from injury in the time of an accident. It would be advantageous if other uses can be developed for seat belts whereby the benefits to the driver and passengers are enhanced.
Certain of the problems discussed above have been recognized and various solutions have been suggested and tried.
For example, German Pat. No. 26 41 852 discloses disposable protective sheathing for seat belts. The sheathing is placed on the portion of the seat belt webbing which is in constant contact with the user's clothing in order to protect the clothing from being soiled by the webbing. The material for the sheathing is constructed of paper or plastic and is stored in a roll form in a dispenser mechanism fitted in a convenient place inside the automobile. A desired amount of the material is torn off and used to wrap around the width of the chosen portion of the webbing with an additional overlap portion. An adhesive coating binds the overlap portion to the remainder of the material as it surrounds the webbing. When the wrapping gets soiled, it is torn off the webbing and replaced by a clean one.
Another selected solution is offered by British Pat. No. 1 581 996. Again, the problem addressed by the patentee involves the soiling difficulty present with continuous seat belt use. In this instance, a resilient filling material is positioned between smooth inner and outer soft pile fabrics to form a removable seat belt sleeve.
French Pat. No. 2 436 608 addresses the problem of discomfort. It discloses a pad of soft material permanently or temporarily affixed to the vehicle safety belt at the location of contact with the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,306,662 discloses a seat belt attachment with perforations to provide for a cooling or heating flow of air to the wearer and is designed to prevent perspiration spoilage of the person's clothing lying immediately below the belt. Attachment is accomplished by means of lacing or by use of a zipper.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,913 discloses the use of a seat belt attachment with a fur-like substance on its exterior surface for decorative purposes. The device is a snap-on structure.
It is clear that further improvement is needed in seat belt protective structures for minimizing the occurrence of soiling of clothing and personal irritation. Also, more versatile structures are desirable to minimize cost and to add to the convenience of the vehicle operator.